https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Martins_Tower is a 140-metre (460 ft) office building
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C_Restaurant is a revolving restaurant located at Level 33 https://www.crestaurant.com.au , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F557lO6Wy_U
While a building this size (140 m) has become like a stump in Perth and Seattle, it would still be a prominent tower in stumpy Vancouver, BC.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4EJ2MLE5BM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eW3NsDyUjr8 Vancouver
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aX4EDQ0VEnU Surrey https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GuHfIK95uc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0Xt8AX3MWs Cloverdale https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us7K-uRxjkw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POcg0oFvVf8
The larger Portland, Seattle and the Vancouver, BC (V-BC) region has a lot of growth potential. However, Seattle size buildings haven't been allowed in Portland and in Vancouver, BC. Nothing like a 12 lane Ship Canal Bridge has been allowed in Portland and Vancouver. While Oregon and backwater BC haven't been able to thwart the largest city in Washington State, Seattle might eventually become more of a magnet in pulling more people into the area between Portland and V-BC.
Right now, Vancouver, WA (V-WA) still has a wider bridge than V-BC. Most of the V-BC bridges are so damn narrow that its not possible to have an efficient regional express bus network. As long as there is a refusal to build proper BRT bridges as part of a regional system, it remains a sad joke.
The Skytrain (LRT) was built with shorter stations than what the underground stations in Seattle and Edmonton are at. Whenever possible, the Skytrain stations are shorter than the C Train stations in Calgary, DART stations in Dallas and even the Max in Portland.
The biggest mistake of the Skytrain was to not build all of the stations with a future level clearance to eventually have Montreal Metro size stations of 500 feet or 152.5 m. Instead, the first 2 lines only have 80 m stations and the line to YVR (The Canada embarrassment Line) is only 50 m. Backwater BC logic is that a 5 car Skytrain could run twice as frequent as a 9 car Montreal Metro train. Someday, a 2.5 car YVR-Canada Line train could also run much more frequently than a 9 car Montreal Metro train.
There is just one key problem with that type of BC logic. While initially constructing short stations and having short trains can save money, its not proper BIG city size infrastructure. In the long run, it costs more to try to lengthen stations for longer BIG city type trains.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Rr1WUJNZVE
No office tower in Vancouver has been allowed to have a 40th floor. In fact, there are no 40 story office towers anywhere in BC.
Why BC, Canada Got it Right With its New SkyTrain https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqo_KAEF81k
The argument is that a mostly elevated train can move more people than an 8-10 lane elevated freeway, at much less the cost. However, any major urban grade-separated LRT system should be designed to eventually become a very high capacity conduit.
The first 2 lines only have 80 m stations, which are just a little more than half the length of a 152.5 m Montreal Metro station. Unfortunately, the line to Richmond only has a designed level clearance for 50 m stations, not even quite a 3rd of the length of a Montreal Metro station platform.
While it might seem economical to opt for short trains and stations, the Skytrain stations should have still been designed to eventually become more like a proper big city train station allowing for much higher capacity.
The first 2 lines can run the newest 5 car trains, but the 3rd line can only run 2.5 car trains, some day.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcQqiPa-Qa0 Unlike most of the buildings in Vancouver, this one in Burnaby would actually be one of the taller buildings in Calgary and Seattle.
https://skyscraperpage.com/b114729/burnaby/grand-tower-at-sky-park 230 m or 755 feet.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sky_Park_(Burnaby)
All possible, because its not under the extreme controls and restrictions that Vancouver imposes.
https://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?cityID=31 BC https://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?stateID=1
https://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?cityID=31&status=15 BC https://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?stateID=1&status=15
https://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?countryID=1 Can https://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?countryID=1&status=15
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaBTC6ihflo
Japan is so much smaller than Canada, yet they found the room for a fast train network. Switzerland can fit into BC 23 times and they were able to have an extensive railway system in a small area.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SkyTrain_(Vancouver)#Canada_Line , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxTEBfxYH0g
https://buzzer.translink.ca/2010/08/canada-line-and-the-olympics "For the 17-day Games period, the Canada Line carried over 3,881,986 passengers, with the most ever riding on Friday, February 19: 287,000 riders!"
https://www.bcaviationcouncil.org/canada-line-continues-to-break-records-translink/
TransLink's Hyundai Rotem EMU cars have been operating since 2009 and have played a massive role for the City of Richmond, Vancouver and YVR. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1ouk0VifwM
https://archive.news.gov.bc.ca/releases/news_releases_2005-2009/2009tran0002-000047.htm "During the Olympic Games, there were approximately 230,000 daily trips on the Canada Line."
https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/comments/1eu70hl/skytrains_canada_line_marks_15th_anniversary/
https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/comments/5t97h9/this_is_why_the_canada_line_has_been_far_less/
https://globalnews.ca/news/90468/canada-line-races-toward-capacity/
https://www.reddit.com/r/askvan/comments/1fsfptv/why_are_the_current_canada_line_cars_designed_the/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlGQDpx4xg
While there could be a reasonable argument that if a subway or elevated line isn't expected to be that busy in its first few years, then just build half-size stations and run half-length trains. However, in the case of backwards Vancouver, what should have been stations that were designed to accommodate at least 5 car trains, were only designed for an eventual 2.5 car train. Thus, it will be challenging enough just to modify the incredibly short Canada Line stations to gradually accommodate 3 full-size 20 m cars, not just some 2.5 car joke of a train for a 50 m station.
Fortunately the Skyline_(Honolulu) stations can accommodate a 4 car train right from the start. Someday, with SDO a 4 car train could become a 6 car train.
If Selective+Door+Operation (SDO) can ever be implemented on the YVR-Canada Line then it can go from being a 2 car joke of a train to a 3 car attempt of a train. Then, once people got used to 3 car trains, an extra car could be added at both ends, thus allowing for a 5 car train.
Ultimately, the YVR-Canada+Line should have been designed as a proper big-city size train with 8-10 cars. There seems to be such a lack of proper long-term transportation infrastructure planning in BC. To just build a small-scale line as a symbolic demonstration of reluctance towards the Pacific Rim is so absurd.
Fortunately, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane never opted for such a short train.
There Is a Hidden City Under Seoul Nobody Talks About. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIewf8sOZ0I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJqr-6j3yww This would be an impressive building if it was in Victoria, Kelowna, Kamloops or Prince George. Even in Lethbridge and Spokane, but not in Calgary or Seattle. That's because they been allowed to be proper big cities.
Its not even 25 stories, just like the Post office complex, but if it had at least 50 floors it would have been quite an impressive office tower for BC.
https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/comments/1jav5f9/burnaby_approves_bc_tel_boot_redevelopment_5/ Acording to this rendering, the main part of the Telus boot stump will still be around. Its only a smaller part of its base that will face demolition.
https://www.jarmanrealestate.com/burnaby-telus-boot-redevelopment/
Burnaby or Surrey will likely have the first office tower in BC that's at least 45 stories in the next few years. Vancouver won't permit any office tower to have a 40th floor.
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/3696-kingsway-vancouver-telus-rental-housing-tower Across the street, not a 50, only a 25 story residential stump.
Boundary Road should have already had an express bus service and eventually a rapid bus route connecting Burnaby to North Vancouver and Richmond. Unfortunately, Vancouver still doesn't seem interested in having a B.Rd. bridge to NV and Richmond, even if it would improve on regional transportation.
https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/comments/1tfsdxg/long_lost_days One of the few major streets within Vancouver to be at least 6 lanes wide. However, with curb lane parking it just becomes another 4 lane corridor in BC.
https://www.vancouverarchives.ca/wp-content/uploads/cropped-a9b22bf7-d985-4372-9650-7a51afbe5f94-2010-006.161-2-3.jpg This part of Granville used to have 6 lanes. The 1970s mall reduced it to just 2 lanes, causing an instant bus bottleneck-chokepoint. A 4 lane compromise still would have allowed for wider sidewalks. A 4 lane transit mall could have allowed for a constant passing lane when another bus has stopped. It was as if someone didn't want to have an efficient bus corridor for express buses, as well as local busses. When a local bus stops on a 2 lane street, its impossible for an express bus to pass, especially when there is a stopped bus on the other lane, also preventing any express bus to pass.
Several cities around the world still have wide streets, boulevards and avenues with 8-10 lanes. If Vancouver had allowed some 8 lane wide streets, 2 curb parking lanes would still provide 6 traffic lanes. Then, if 2 lanes were for buses, there would still be 2 lanes each way for general traffic.
The public and then the planning department (after being pressured) were firmly against having freeways within the city limits during the 1960s and 70s. However, there still should have been enough logic to allow for wider streets so that it would be easier and more efficient to have a bus lane each way.
As of 2026, no bridge within the Vancouver city limits has 8 lanes and only two bridges have 6 lanes. One has 5 lanes and then there are four 4 lane bridges and the 3 lane Lion Bridge joke.
All of the Vancouver bridges are so narrow that there was no provision for any future bus lanes. Plus, 2 bridges each had 2 lanes removed that could have been used for buses. Congestive transportation planning is the name of the game for backwards Vancouver. If there ever was a city that needs a series of bus bridges, it would be stubborn Vancouver.
Even the Greater Vancouver region is lacking in having a series of bus bridges, especially since the Skytrain isn't a 24 hour system.
https://www.vancouverarchives.ca/2011/04/18/how-did-harland-bartholomews-ideas-shape-vancouver
https://archive.org/details/vancplanincgen00vanc The Bartholomew Plan published in 1928.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/vancouver-archives/albums/72157626484421302/
https://globalcivic.org/harland-bartholomew/
https://www.urbanstudio.sala.ubc.ca/2010/lectures/Sept21_presentations/2_TheBasics.pdf
https://samsullivan.ca/taking-a-closer-look-at-the-legacy-of-harland-bartholomew-and-his-plan-for-vancouver-2 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIuAk1TIKHo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z64SisMwIuY
Another illogical lane reduction project. Broadway was for the most part, always 6 lanes, 7, if you count the turning lane at major intersections. The train isn't a 24 hour service, so its important to always have 1 bus lane each way, especially if the train is shut down for an occasional emergency. Then there still should be 2 general lanes each way, because this isn't supposed to be a small town street or avenue.
This, combined with so many 4 lane bridges, ensures that BC bottleneck-chokepoint planning remains firmly entrenched.
A 5 car Vancouver train is expected to do the job of a 9 car Montreal Metro train. That's because a short Vancouver train can run a little more frequently than a 9 car Montreal Metro train, during even the most busy times of the day. Of course many proper cities have long big-city trains, because they aren't under anything like small thinking Vancouver, or a backwater BC mentality.
The standard short trains, narrow bridges & narrow streets and short buildings, are all part of holding the scale of Vancouver back. Apparently, if you can't build a wall around Vancouver, the next best thing is to continually plan and build symbolically for a provincial backwater of a city.
https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Selective+Door+Operation
https://www.nsnews.com/local-news/agriculture-shippers-call-for-replacement-of-north-shore-cn-rail-bridge-12291086 This BC bottleneck-chokepoint mentality is ridiculous!
Unfortunately, due to a lack of properly planning for future infrastructure needs, the Thornton_Tunnel and the Second_Narrows_Rail_Bridge weren't designed to be double tracked.
The New_Westminster_Bridge is also another single track, bottleneck-chokepoint.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Westminster_Bridge#Proposed_changes
https://www.nsnews.com/economy-law-politics/vancouver-council-calls-for-reopening-of-container-truck-entrance-to-port-clark-drive-11231559 More trouble and in efficient B$.
https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/comments/1t9pgs8/lions_gate_bridge_at_night_oc The classic 3 lane BC bottleneck-chokepoint. No need for a bus and commuter train tunnel around there, because that's what a proper city would do.
https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/comments/1teae3s/another_beautiful_post
The Race To Fix The World's Most Isolated Mega-Port https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81CLKTJnw7I
In Melbourne, its just a matter of finally getting around to getting a huge port upgrade accomplished.
Unfortunately, in Vancouver things are more difficult to do. Key freight rail bridges are still only single tracked.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7tbzlHKKm0
Coquitlam can build taller than Vancouver, because its not under any Vancouver type restrictions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpEoJia-4ns Fortunately, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth don't have similar restrictions as Sydney. However, NSW still has less imposed restrictions and impediments as backwater BC.
Backwards+Vancouver B$ logic should never make it to Sydney, or any other properly functioning city. Fortunately overall, NSW never was overtaken by anything like the BC Mind Virus (BCMV). Otherwise, Sydney would also have narrow bridges, short trains and mostly short buildings.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/25_Martin_Place Over 60 levels.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotia_Tower Not even 40 levels.
Vancouver still won't allow any office tower to have 40 floors, let alone 50 or 60.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zmz9hH3rI6U
Burnaby or Surrey will likely be the first places in BC where office towers will be over 45 stories. That's because stubborn Vancouver won't even permit any office tower to have a 40th floor.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9_GQWyo8h0
Boston and Las_Vegas allow much taller buildings than what's permitted in Richmond. Those cities don't use their airport as an excuse to have stumps. Even San_Diego has taller towers than Richmond.
Despite New_Orleans being on a delta, it has much taller buildings than Richmond as well.
Boston & LV have longer trains, while N.O. never totally got rid of their streetcars like Richmond had.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lansdowne_station_(SkyTrain) A little 2 car joke of a train that's expected to do the job of what a big size or at least medium size city can do.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rseau_express_metropolitain#Rolling_stock 4 cars.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skyline_(Honolulu) 4 cars.
Fortunately, Montreal & Honolulu opted to not have something like a 2 car YVR-C Line joke of a train.
When stations can't easily be extended, Selective_door_operation can turn a 4 car rain into a 6 car train.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_door_operation#International_variations
Unfortunately, the YVR-Canada_Line wasn't designed to have 4 or 5 car trains. The stations were only designed to just accommodate a 2.5 car train. However, with Selective_door_operation, a 2.5 car train could become a 4.5 car train. Perhaps, even a 5 car train with 3 full-length cars accessing the station platform. To still be running a 2 car train to Richmond and a Richmond-Delta tunnel that's still only 2 lanes each way, is a very sad joke.
So much more should have been done between 1986 and 2010. Especially, since 2010 and 2026.
https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2026/05/02/expo-86-40-years-later-the-memories-live-on
Everything is so much more difficult & costly to do in backwards BC.
